Apparatus for monitoring process chamber

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for monitoring an interior of a process chamber including a process chamber including a chamber body and a view port defined in the chamber body, a cover section including a pinhole in one end, the cover section disposed to correspond to an end portion of the view port, the cover section having a first length in a direction toward a center point of the process chamber, and a sensing unit inserted into the view port to monitor the interior of the process chamber through the pinhole, a region in the process chamber to be sensed by the sensing unit determined based on the first length may be provided.

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2016-0009899, filed on Jan. 27, 2016 in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present inventive concepts relate to apparatuses for monitoring aprocess chamber.

2. Description of the Related Art

In a plasma etching apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor componentsor LCD components, a plasma etching process using an RF power isperformed. In particular, in the wafer manufacturing process, a siliconoxide film is used to form an interlayer insulating film, polysilicondoped with impurity is used to form a capacitor, and a dry etchingprocess using plasma is used to perform patterning of the silicon oxidefilm or the polysilicon layer.

As the dry etching process, there is a transformer coupled plasma (TCP)etching method that uses a high density plasma (HDP) source system. In aTCP etching apparatus using the TCP etching method, a wafer is mountedon a bottom of an interior of a chamber, a process gas injection tubefor injecting the process gas into the chamber is installed on one sideof the chamber, and when injecting the process gas into the chamber andsimultaneously generating the RF power, plasma is generated in theinterior of the chamber to etch a top surface of the wafer.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present inventive concepts provides an apparatus formonitoring a process chamber to check presence or absence of abnormalityof the process in a non-penetration monitoring manner, while notaffecting execution of the process.

Another aspect of the present inventive concepts provides an apparatusfor monitoring a process chamber that is capable of monitoring both acentral portion and an outer portion of the process chamber.

Still another aspect of the present inventive concepts provides anapparatus for monitoring a process chamber to monitor an extent ofdistribution of process substance at a wafer surface level of theprocess chamber.

However, aspects of the present inventive concepts are not restricted tothe ones set forth herein. The above and other aspects of the presentinventive concepts that have not been mentioned will become moreapparent to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the presentinventive concepts pertains by referencing the detailed description ofthe present inventive concepts given below.

According to an example embodiment of the present inventive concepts, anapparatus for monitoring an interior of a process chamber includes aprocess chamber including a chamber body and a view port defined in thechamber body, a cover section including a pinhole in one end, the coversection disposed to correspond to an end portion of the view port, thecover section having a first length in a direction toward a center ofthe process chamber, and a sensing unit inserted into the view port tomonitor the interior of the process chamber through the pinhole, aregion in the process chamber to be sensed by the sensing unitdetermined based on the first length.

According to an example embodiment of the present inventive concepts, anapparatus for monitoring an interior of a process chamber includes aprocess chamber including a chamber body, the chamber body including afirst view port and a second view port defined therein, a first coversection including a first pinhole, the first cover section disposed tocorrespond to an end portion of the first view port, a first sensingunit inserted into the first view port to monitor a first sensing regionin the interior of the process chamber through the first pinhole, asecond cover section including a second pinhole, the second coversection disposed to correspond to an end portion of the second viewport, and a second sensing unit inserted into the second view port tomonitor a second sensing region in the interior of the process chamberthrough the second pinhole, the second sensing region being differentfrom the first sensing region.

According to an example embodiment of the present inventive concepts, anapparatus for monitoring an interior of a process chamber includes aprocess chamber including a housing space defined therein, one or moreimage pickup units each configured to monitor a distribution status of aprocess substance in the housing space, the one or more image pickupunits each configured to change a monitoring region in the processchamber by adjusting a focal distance thereof, and one or moreprocessors configured to obtain a density distribution of the processsubstance on a bottom surface of the housing space, by performing one ormore arithmetic operations using monitoring results from the one or moreimage pickup units.

According to an example embodiment of the present inventive concepts, anapparatus for monitoring an interior of a process chamber includes aprocess chamber including a chamber body and at least one view portdefined in the chamber body, at least one cover structure coupled intothe view port, the cover structure including a pinhole at one endthereof, the cover structure configured to move forward or backward withrespect to an inner wall of the chamber body, the cover structure havinga length in a direction toward a center of the process chamber, and atleast one sensor accommodated in the cover structure to monitor theinterior of the process chamber through the pinhole, a region in theprocess chamber to be sensed by the sensor determined according to afocal distance of the sensor, the focal distance of the sensordetermined based on a distance between the pinhole and the sensor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects and features of the present inventiveconcepts will become more apparent by describing in detail some exampleembodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an apparatus for monitoring aprocess chamber according to an example embodiment of the presentinventive concepts;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are partially cross-sectional views of the apparatus formonitoring the process chamber according to some example embodiments ofthe present inventive concepts;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a part of theapparatus for monitoring the process chamber according to an exampleembodiment of the present inventive concepts;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a front portion of a coversection of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method of performing an arithmeticoperation of the distribution of process substance in the apparatus formonitoring the process chamber according to an example embodiment of thepresent inventive concepts;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the apparatus for monitoring the processchamber according to an example embodiment of the present inventiveconcepts;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the apparatus for monitoringthe process chamber according to an example embodiment of the presentinventive concepts;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the apparatus for monitoring the processchamber according to an example embodiment of the present inventiveconcepts;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the apparatus for monitoring theprocess chamber according to an example embodiment of the presentinventive concepts;

FIG. 11 is a partial sectional view of the apparatus for monitoring theprocess chamber according to an example embodiment of the presentinventive concepts;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an electronic system that includes asemiconductor device manufactured using the apparatus for monitoring theprocess chamber according to an example embodiment of the presentinventive concepts; and

FIGS. 13 and 14 are exemplary semiconductor systems to which thesemiconductor device manufactured using the apparatus for monitoring theprocess chamber according to some example embodiments of the presentinventive concepts is applicable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A process chamber described below may be a process chamber that performsa plasma process. However, the present inventive concepts are notlimited thereto. The present inventive concepts will be described usinga process chamber that is used when performing the plasma process as anexample. The plasma process may be a process that uses a plasmasubstance during the manufacturing process of, for example, asemiconductor device, a display device, and a printed circuit board(PCB). The plasma process may refer to, for example, a dry etchingprocess, a sputtering process, a dry clean process, a dry ashingprocess, or a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process.

The process chamber according to the present inventive concepts may beutilized when performing the plasma process as described above. Theprocess chamber may have various shapes and/or may include variousmaterials as desired, without being limited to the shapes and materialsdescribed below. The process chamber and the apparatus for monitoringthe process chamber according to the present inventive conceptsdescribed with reference to the drawings are merely some examples.

First, a process chamber and an apparatus for monitoring the processchamber according to an example embodiment of the present inventiveconcepts will be described referring to FIGS. 1 through 6.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an apparatus for monitoringthe process chamber according to an example embodiment of the presentinventive concepts. FIGS. 2 and 3 are partially cross-sectional views ofthe apparatus for monitoring the process chamber according to someexample embodiments of the present inventive concepts. FIG. 4 is anexploded perspective view illustrating a part of the apparatus formonitoring the process chamber according to an example embodiment of thepresent inventive concepts. FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating afront portion of a cover section of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a diagram forexplaining a method of performing an arithmetic operation of thedistribution of process substances in the apparatus for monitoring theprocess chamber according to an example embodiment of the presentinventive concepts.

Referring to FIG. 1, an apparatus 1 for monitoring a process chamberaccording to an example embodiment of the present inventive conceptsincludes a chamber body 100, a view port 110, a substrate support 120, amain body 200, a liner 300 and a like.

The chamber body 100 may be formed to include a housing space capable ofhousing the process substance therein. For example, a cylindricalhousing space may be formed within the chamber body 100, but the presentinventive concepts are not limited thereto. In some example embodiments,the housing space formed inside the chamber body 100 may have apolygonal pillar shape.

The substrate support 120 may be formed on a bottom surface of thechamber body 100, and a substrate, which may be used in themanufacturing process of the semiconductor device, the display device,the PCB, or the like, may be disposed on the substrate support 120. Forexample, a wafer may be disposed on the substrate support 120.

Because a process substance (e.g., plasma substance) may be housedinside the chamber body 100 and the process may be performed, thechamber body 100 may be formed of a material that does not react withthe process substance (e.g., plasma substance). The chamber body 100,for example, may be formed of metal. The chamber body 100, for example,may be formed of copper (Cu) or aluminum (Al), but the present inventiveconcepts are not limited thereto.

The chamber body 100 may be, for example, a place where an etchingprocess is performed, and serves to provide a sealed housing space sothat a smooth etching process is performed. The process gas for theetching process may flow into the chamber body 100 from an outside ormay be discharged to the outside, in accordance with the progress of theprocess.

The view port 110 may be formed on one side wall of the chamber body100. The view port 110, for example, may include a cylindrical hole, butthe present inventive concepts are not limited thereto. For example, theview port 110 may have various shapes, and the view port 110 may haveany structure that can check a distribution status of the process gas orthe process substance in the chamber body 100.

The view port 110 may have various structures according to structures ofa sensing device to be inserted therein so that the sensing device cancheck a process progress status or the distribution status of theprocess substance in the chamber body 100 through the view port 110.Thus, the view port 110 may be formed to penetrate through one side wallof the chamber body 100. Further, the shape of the view port 110 mayvary according to the structure of the sensing device to be insertedtherein.

The view port 110, for example, may be formed of quartz or sapphire, butthe present inventive concepts are not limited thereto. That is, theview port 110 may be installed in the one side wall of the chamber body100. At this time, the length of the hole formed in the view port 110may be determined in accordance with the surface wave resonance theory.

The main body 200 may be inserted into the view port 110. Varioussensing devices may be included in the main body 200. The main body 200may protect the sensing devices. In some example embodiments, thesensing devices may be directly inserted into the view port 110 withoutusing the main body 200.

The main body 200 may have a cylindrical shape. A part of the view port110 also may have a cylindrical shape. For example, the main body 200may be formed in the shape similar to the view port 110 so that the mainbody 200 can be inserted into the view port 110.

The liner 300 may be formed within the chamber body 100. For example,the liner 300 may be formed in a shape corresponding to the housingspace in the chamber body 100. The inner surface of the liner 300 may beformed in a cylindrical shape so that a light reflectance issubstantially the same regardless of positions on the cylindrical shape.Thus, influences on the sensing device other than the process gas or theprocess substance may be mitigated or prevented when monitoring theinternal process status of the chamber body 100 through the sensingdevice installed in the main body 200.

Although the liner 300 may be formed to come into contact with the innersurface of the chamber body 100, the present inventive concepts are notlimited thereto. If the liner 300 is affixed to an interior of thechamber body 100, an occurrence of shaking may be mitigated or preventedwhen the sensing device installed in the main body 200 monitors theinterior of the chamber body 100.

The liner 300, for example, may be formed of metal. The liner 300, forexample, may be formed of copper (Cu) or aluminum (Al), but the presentinventive concepts are not limited thereto.

Referring to FIGS. 2 through 5, a rear end of the main body 200 iscoupled to a view port fixing section 111, and a front end of the mainbody 200 is coupled to the cover section 240. A coupled structure of theview port fixing section 111, the main body 200, and the cover section240 may be inserted and affixed into the view port 110.

For example, the main body 200 may include a coupling section 210, afixing section 220, and an insertion section 230. The coupling section210 may be inserted and affixed into the view port fixing section 111.For example, the end portion of the view port fixing section 111 may beformed in a cylindrical shape, and an end portion of the couplingsection 210 also may be formed in the cylindrical shape so that the endportion of the coupling section 210 may be inserted and affixed into theend portion of the view port fixing section 111. However, the presentinventive concepts are not limited thereto, and the end portion of theview port fixing section 111 and the end portion of the coupling section210 may be formed in a shape other than a cylindrical shape and may becoupled to each other.

A sensing unit 250 may be affixed to or inserted into the fixing section220. For example, a groove may be formed in the fixing section 220, andthe sensing unit 250 may be inserted and/or affixed into the groove ofthe fixing section 220. However, the present inventive concepts are notlimited thereto, and various coupling methods capable of coupling thesensing unit 250 in the fixing section 220 may be used.

The sensing unit 250, for example, may include a charge coupled device(CCD) sensor or a CMOS sensor. The sensing unit 250, for example, mayinclude a linear array camera, a CMOS camera or the like. The sensingunit 250 may monitor the internal process status of the chamber body 100through a pinhole 241 formed on the front surface of the cover section240.

The insertion section 230 may be inserted and coupled into the coversection 240. An end portion of the insertion section 230 may have acylinder shape, but the present inventive concepts are not limitedthereto. The end portion of the insertion section 230 may be formed in ashape that can be inserted and coupled into the cover section 240.However, the insertion section 230 may be coupled to the cover section240 in other ways.

The cover section 240 may be disposed to correspond to the end portionof the view port 110, and may have a length din a direction toward acenter of the chamber body 100. A pinhole 241 may be formed on a frontsurface of the cover section 240 that faces the center of the chamberbody 100. In some example embodiments, the length d may refer to adistance between the pinhole 241 and the sensing unit 250.

The cover section 240 may be coupled to the insertion section 230 of themain body 200 and may be disposed in front of a monitoring direction ofthe sensing unit 250 affixed or coupled to the interior of the main body200. The focal distance of the sensing unit 250 may change depending onthe length d of the cover section 240. In some example embodiments, thefocal distance may change based on a distance between the pinhole 241and the sensing unit 250. For example, in the case that the sensing unit250 is a linear array camera, a position of the camera lens of thelinear array camera may be determined or adjusted by the length d of thecover section 240, and thus a focal distance of the linear array cameramay vary depending on the length d. Accordingly, when the length d ofthe cover section 240 has a first value, a sensing region of the sensingunit 250 may be a first region in the chamber body 100, and when thelength d of the cover section 240 has a second value other than thefirst value, the sensing region of the sensing unit 250 may be changedto a second region in the chamber body 100. The first region and thesecond region may mean different regions from each other. The length dof the cover section 240 may be determined on the basis of the surfacewave resonance theory.

In some example embodiments, the first region may be determinedaccording to a first focal distance of the sensing unit 250 and a firstlength of the cover section 240 protruding into the chamber body 100.The first focal distance of the sensing unit 250 may be determined basedon a first distance between the pinhole 241 and the sending unit 250.The second region may be determined according to a second focal distanceof the sensing unit 250 and a first length of the cover section 240protruding into the chamber body 100. The second focal distance of thesensing unit 250 may be determined based on a second distance betweenthe pinhole 241 and the sensing unit 250. The cover section 240 may beconfigured to move to determine the focal distance (e.g., the first andsecond focal distances) of the sensing unit 250.

Accordingly, by properly setting the length d of the cover section 240,a monitoring range of the substrate disposed on the substrate support120 in the chamber body 100 may be set. When the process substance orthe process gas flows onto the substrate disposed on the substratesupport 120, the entire surface of the substrate should exist within themonitoring range to check whether the process substance and the processgas is properly distributed on the surface of the substrate and theprocess is smoothly performed.

In the apparatus 1 for monitoring the process chamber according to thepresent inventive concepts, the entire surface of the substrate can bemade exist within the monitoring range by properly adjusting the lengthd of the cover section 240, which includes the pinhole 241 defined atone end thereof.

Further, the cover section 240 may be formed to protrude from an innerwall of the liner 300. For example, the cover section 240 may extendtoward the center of the chamber body 100 from a position at which theinner wall of the liner 300 is provided. Thus, because the cover section240 may be exposed to the process substance or the process gas flowedinto the chamber body 100, the cover section 240 may be formed of amaterial that does not react with the process substance or the processgas flowed into the chamber body 100.

For example, the cover section 240 may be formed of metal. The coversection 240, for example, may be formed of copper (Cu) or aluminum (Al),but the present inventive concepts are not limited thereto.

The sensing unit 250 may monitor the internal process status of thechamber body 100 through the pinhole 241 at a particular portion in thechamber body 100. The particular portion may not be a surface region ofa substrate disposed on the substrate support 120. Transformation andarithmetic operations on the result monitored by the sensing unit 250may be performed to obtain the process status at the substrate surfacelevel disposed on the substrate support 120. Accordingly, whether theprocess substance or the process gas is uniformly distributed at thesurface level of the substrate disposed on the substrate support 120 maybe checked, and the process status at the substrate surface level may bedetermined.

Referring to FIG. 3, in the apparatus 1 for monitoring the processchamber according to an example embodiment of the present inventiveconcepts, a wafer may be disposed on the substrate support 120 in thechamber body 100. For example, when a radius of the wafer is set to “a”and a distance from the center point of the substrate support 120 to thepinhole 241 is set to “b”, a sensing angle 2θ of the sensing unit 250 isarc tan (a/b)/π×180×2°.

For example, when a width of the sensing unit 250 disposed in the mainbody 200 is set to “L” and the distance from the end portion of thesensing unit 250 to the pinhole 241 is set to “D”, the distance Dbetween the sensing unit 250 and pinhole 241 is (b×L)/(a×2).

Referring to FIG. 6, the transformation and arithmetic operations on themonitoring result of the sensing unit 250 to achieve data about theprocess status at the substrate surface level may be performed using theAbel transformation. The following [Formula 1] and [Formula 2] may beused.

$\begin{matrix}{{F(y)} = {{A\left\lbrack {U(r)} \right\rbrack} = {2{\int_{y}^{\infty}{\frac{U(r)}{\sqrt{r^{2} - y^{2}}}{rdr}}}}}} & \left\lbrack {{Formula}\mspace{14mu} 1} \right\rbrack \\{{U(r)} = {{A^{- 1}\left\lbrack {F(y)} \right\rbrack} = {{- \frac{1}{\pi}}{\int_{y}^{\infty}{\frac{dF}{dy} \cdot \frac{dy}{\sqrt{y^{2} - r^{2}}}}}}}} & \left\lbrack {{Formula}\mspace{14mu} 2} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$

Here, F(y) is a value measured by monitoring in the sensing unit 250,U(r) is a calculated value obtained by performing the Abeltransformation to the data about the process status at the substratesurface level. Dispersion about the process status at the substratesurface level may be determined using the values of U(r).

In FIG. 6, [Formula 1] and [Formula 2] may be applied to the diffusereflectance (S), assuming that the reflectivity of the liner 300 isuniform regardless of position on the liner 300.

According to some example embodiments of the present inventive concepts,a spatial density of the process substance may be monitored using theoptical measurement such as an optical emission spectrometer (OES) bydisposing the sensing unit 250 in a non-contact manner, when performingthe process (e.g., a plasma process). Further, the presence or absenceof abnormality in the process at the time of performing the process(e.g., the plasma process) may be checked without affecting the process.

Further, according to some example embodiments of the present inventiveconcepts, the interior of the chamber body 100 at the time of performingthe process (e.g., the plasma process) may be monitored by adjusting thethickness d of the cover section 240 a formed with the pinhole 241, andthe surface of the substrate disposed on the substrate support 120 maybe monitored.

Further, according to some example embodiments of the present inventiveconcepts, because the number of components of the apparatus formonitoring the internal process status of the chamber body 100 may bereduced, and thus a probability of measurement error may be reduced. Asthe number of components constituting the apparatus increases, theprobability of measurement error also may increase while controlling thecomponents. Accordingly, reducing the number of components thatconstitute the monitoring device may be desired.

An apparatus for monitoring a process chamber according to anotherexample embodiment of the present inventive concepts will be describedbelow.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an apparatus for monitoring the processchamber according to an example embodiment of the present inventiveconcepts. For convenience of explanation, the description of thesubstantially same parts as the aforementioned apparatus for monitoringthe process chamber will not be provided.

Referring to FIG. 7, an apparatus 2 for monitoring a process chamberincludes a plurality of view ports 110, 110 a, 110 b and 110 c in thechamber body 100, and includes a plurality of main bodies 200, 200 a,200 b and 200 c corresponding to each of the plurality of view ports110, 110 a, 110 b and 110 c.

A sensing device may be included in each of the plurality of main bodies200, 200 a, 200 b and 200 c.

The chamber body 100 may include a housing space capable of housing aprocess substance therein. For example, a cylindrical housing space maybe formed inside the chamber body 100, but the present inventiveconcepts are not limited thereto. The housing space formed inside thechamber body 100 may also have a polygonal pillar shape.

A substrate support 120 may be formed on a bottom surface of the chamberbody 100, and a substrate that can be used in the manufacturing processof the semiconductor device, the display device, the PCB or the like maybe disposed on the substrate support 120. For example, a wafer may bedisposed on the substrate support 120.

Because the process substance (e.g., plasma substance) is housed insidethe chamber body 100, and the process is performed, the chamber body 100may be formed of a substance that does not react with the processsubstance (e.g., the plasma substance). The chamber body 100, forexample, may be formed of metal. The chamber body 100, for example, maybe formed of, for example, copper (Cu) or aluminum (Al), but the presentinventive concepts are not limited thereto.

The plurality of view ports 110, 110 a, 110 b and 110 c may be formed onone side wall of the chamber body 100. For example, the plurality ofview ports 110, 110 a, 110 b and 110 c may be formed on respective sidesof the chamber body 100. Although the chamber body 100 is illustrated tohave a square pillar shape in FIG. 6, the present inventive concepts renot limited thereto, and the chamber body 100 may be formed in adifferent shape.

Further, the plurality of view ports may be formed only on one set ofopposite sides of the chamber body 100, rather than being formed on allrespective sides of the chamber body 100. That is, only the view port110 and the view port 110 b may be formed, and the view port 110 and theview port 110 c may not be formed. When the view ports 110 and 110 b areformed on the opposite sides of the chamber body 100, the installationcosts of the sensing device may be reduced or prevented from excessivelyincreasing, while enlarging the monitoring region through the sensingdevice installed in the view ports 110 and 110 b.

The plurality of view ports 110, 110 a, 110 b and 110 c, for example,may be formed of quartz or sapphire, but the present inventive conceptsare not limited thereto. Each of the plurality of view ports 110, 110 a,110 b and 110 c may be installed inside one side wall of the chamberbody 100 as a separate configuration from of the chamber body 100.

The plurality of main bodies 200, 200 a, 200 b and 200 c may be disposedto be inserted into the plurality of view ports 110, 110 a, 110 b and110 c, respectively. Each of the plurality of main bodies 200, 200 a,200 b and 200 c may be formed in a cylindrical shape. In the case thateach of the plurality of view ports 110, 110 a, 110 b and 110 c isformed in a cylindrical shape, and each of the plurality of main bodies200, 200 a, 200 b and 200 c may be formed in the cylindrical shape sothat they can be inserted into the plurality of view ports 110, 110 a,110 b and 110 c, respectively.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of an apparatus for monitoringthe process chamber according to an example embodiment of the presentinventive concepts. For convenience of explanation, the description ofthe substantially same parts as the aforementioned apparatus formonitoring the process chamber will not be provided.

Referring to FIG. 8, an apparatus 3 for monitoring a process chamberincludes a chamber body 100, a view port 110, a substrate support 120, amain body 200, a liner 300, an arithmetic operation unit 400.

The chamber body 100, the view port 110, the substrate support 120, themain body 200 and the liner 300 are substantially the same as thosedescribed above.

The arithmetic operation unit 400 is connected to a sensing device inthe main body 200 to transmit and receive to and from the sensingdevice. The arithmetic operation unit 400 may perform a transformationoperation on the result, which is obtained by monitoring the internalprocess status of the chamber body 100 in the sensing device 100 of themain body 200, to obtain the process status at the surface level of thesubstrate disposed on the substrate support 120. In some exampleembodiments, the arithmetic operation unit 400 may perform thetransformation operation on the monitoring result of the sensing deviceusing the Abel transformation and obtain the data about the processstatus at the substrate surface level.

The arithmetic operation unit 400 may perform the transformationoperation using the aforementioned [Formula 1] and [Formula 2]. However,the operation of the operation unit 400 is not limited thereto, and thetransformation operation of the arithmetic operation unit 400 may beperformed using various algorithms.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the apparatus for monitoring the processchamber according to an example embodiment of the present inventiveconcepts. For convenience of explanation, the description of the partssubstantially the same as the aforementioned apparatus for monitoringthe process chamber will not be provided.

Referring to FIG. 9, an apparatus 4 for monitoring a process chamberincludes a chamber body 100, a plurality of view ports 110, 110 a, 110 band 110 c, a substrate support 120, a plurality of main bodies 200, 200a, 200 b and 200 c, first to fourth arithmetic operation units 400 a,400 b, 400 c and 400 d.

The chamber body 100, the plurality of view ports 110, 110 a, 110 b and110 c, the substrate support 120, and the plurality of main bodies 200,200 a, 200 b and 200 c are substantially the same as those describedabove.

The first to fourth arithmetic operation units 400 a, 400 b, 400 c and400 d may be connected to each other to transmit and receive data to andfrom sensing devices in the plurality of main bodies 200, 200 a, 200 band 200 c, respectively.

The first arithmetic operation unit 400 a may perform a transformationoperation on the result obtained by monitoring the internal processstatus of the chamber body 100 in the sensing device of the main body200 to obtain process status information at the surface level of thesubstrate disposed on the substrate support 120. In some exampleembodiments, the first arithmetic operation unit 400 a may perform thetransformation operation of the monitoring results on the sensing deviceusing the Abel transformation to achieve data about the process statusat the substrate surface level.

The second arithmetic operation unit 400 b may perform a transformationoperation on the result obtained by monitoring the internal processstatus of the chamber body 100 in the sensing device of the main body200 a to obtain process status information at the surface level of thesubstrate disposed on the substrate support 120. In some exampleembodiments, the second arithmetic operation unit 400 b may perform thetransformation operation on the monitoring results of the sensing deviceusing the Abel transformation and achieve data about the process statusat the substrate surface level.

The third arithmetic operation unit 400 c may perform a transformationoperation on the result obtained by monitoring the internal processstatus of the chamber body 100 in the sensing device of the main body200 b to obtain the process status at the surface level of the substratedisposed on the substrate support 120. In some example embodiments, thethird arithmetic operation unit 400 c may perform the transformationoperation on the monitoring results of the sensing device using the Abeltransformation to obtain data about the process status at the substratesurface level.

The fourth arithmetic operation unit 400 d may perform a transformationoperation on the result obtained by monitoring the internal processstatus of the chamber body 100 in the sensing device of the main body200 c to obtain the process status at the surface level of the substratedisposed on the substrate support 120. In some example embodiments, thefourth arithmetic operation unit 400 d may perform the transformationoperation on the monitoring results of the sensing device using the Abeltransformation to obtain data about the process status at the substratesurface level.

Each of the first to fourth arithmetic operation units 400 a, 400 b, 400c and 400 d may perform the transformation operation, using theaforementioned [Formula 1] and [Formula 2]. However, the presentinventive concepts are not limited thereto. In some example embodiments,some of the first to fourth arithmetic operation units 400 a, 400 b, 400c and 400 d may perform the transformation operation using the differentalgorithms to each other. In some other example embodiments, only someof the fourth arithmetic operation units 400 a, 400 b, 400 c and 400 dmay perform the transformation operation using the same algorithm.

The foregoing first to fourth transformation operations may be performedby using a memory configured to store computer-readable instructions andone or more processors configured to execute the computer-readableinstructions.

Further, the sensing devices in the plurality of main bodies 200, 200 a,200 b and 200 c may be sense different regions from one another. Firstto fourth CCD sensors may be included within each of the plurality ofmain bodies 200, 200 a, 200 b and 200 c, respectively. The first tofourth CCD sensors may have different focal lengths and may havedifferent sensing regions from one another.

Further, first to fourth arithmetic operation units 400 a, 400 b, 400 cand 400 d may be formed by a single integrated system rather than beingformed by distributed elements that are physically separated from eachother. In some example embodiments, the first to fourth arithmeticoperation units 400 a, 400 b, 400 c and 400 d may perform theaforementioned transformation operations in a single arithmeticoperation unit by receiving a provision of monitoring results from allthe sensing devices in the plurality of main bodies 200, 200 a, 200 band 200 c.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the apparatus for monitoring theprocess chamber according to an example embodiment of the presentinventive concepts. FIG. 11 is a partial sectional view of the apparatusfor monitoring the process chamber according to an example embodiment ofthe present inventive concepts. For convenience of explanation, thedescription of the substantially same parts as the aforementionedapparatus for monitoring the process chamber will not be provided.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, an apparatus 5 for monitoring a processchamber includes a chamber body 100, a view port 110, a substratesupport 120, and a main body 200.

The chamber body 100, the view port 110, the substrate support 120 andthe main body 200 are the same as or substantially similar to thosedescribed above.

The apparatus 5 for monitoring the process chamber does not include theliner 300 as compared to the apparatus 1 for monitoring the processchamber of FIG. 1. That is, the main body 200 may be formed to protrudeonto the inner wall of the chamber body 100, while being inserted intothe view port 110.

The main body 200 may be formed in a cylindrical shape. That is, a partof the view port 110 may be formed in a cylindrical shape, and the mainbody 200 may be formed in a shape similar to the view port 110 so as tobe inserted into the view port 110.

However, because the portion of the main body 200 that protrudes onto aninner wall of the chamber body 100 is exposed to the process substanceor the process gas flowing into the chamber body 100, the portion may beformed of a material that does not react with the process substance orthe process gas flowing into the chamber body 100.

For example, the main body 200 may be formed of metal. The main body200, for example, may be formed of copper (Cu) or aluminum (Al), but thepresent inventive concepts are not limited thereto.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an electronic system that includes asemiconductor device manufactured using the apparatus for monitoring theprocess chamber according to an example embodiment of the presentinventive concepts.

Referring to FIG. 12, an electronic system 4100 according to an exampleembodiment of the present inventive concepts includes a controller 4110,an input/output (I/O) device 4120, a memory device 4130, an interface4140 and a bus 4150.

The controller 4110, the input/output (I/O) device 4120, the memorydevice 4130 and/or the interface 4140 may be coupled to one anotherthrough the bus 4150. The bus 4150 corresponds to a path through whichthe data are moved.

The controller 4110 may include at least one of a microprocessor, adigital signal processor, a microcontroller and logic devices capable ofperforming functions similar to these devices.

The I/O device 4120 may include a keypad, a keyboard, a display deviceand the like.

The memory device 4130 may store data and/or commands.

The interface 4140 may serve to transmit data to or receive data from acommunication network. The interface 4140 may be a wired or wirelessinterface. For example, the interface 4140 may include an antenna or awired or wireless transceiver.

Although it is not illustrated, the electronic system 4100 may alsoinclude a high-speed DRAM or SRAM, as an operating memory for improvingthe operation of the controller 4110. The semiconductor device accordingto the embodiment of the present inventive concepts may be provided inthe memory device 4130 or may be provided as a part of the controller4110, the I/O device 4120 and the like.

The electronic system 4100 may be applied to a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a portable computer, a web tablet, a wireless phone, amobile phone, a digital music player, a memory card or all types ofelectronic products capable of transmitting or receiving information ina wireless environment.

FIGS. 13 and 14 are diagrams illustrating examples of a semiconductorsystem to which the semiconductor device manufactured using theapparatus for monitoring the process chamber according to some exampleembodiments of the present inventive concepts is applicable.

FIG. 13 illustrates a tablet PC. FIG. 14 illustrates a laptop computer.The semiconductor device manufactured using the apparatus for monitoringthe process chamber according to some example embodiments of the presentinventive concepts may be used in the tablet PC, the laptop computer andthe like. It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that thesemiconductor device manufactured using the apparatus for monitoring theprocess chamber according to example embodiments of the presentinventive concepts may also be applied to IC devices other than thoseset forth herein.

While the present inventive concepts have been particularly illustratedand described with reference to some example embodiments thereof, itwill be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that variouschanges in form and detail may be made therein without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the present inventive concepts as defined by thefollowing claims. The example embodiments disclosed herein should beconsidered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for monitoring an interior of a process chamber, the apparatus comprising: a process chamber including a chamber body and a view port defined in the chamber body; a cover section including a pinhole in one end, the cover section disposed to correspond to one end portion of the view port, the one end portion of the view port being adjacent to an inner wall of the chamber body, the cover section having a first length in a direction toward a center of the process chamber; and a sensor inserted into the view port to monitor the interior of the process chamber through the pinhole, a region in the process chamber to be sensed by the sensor determined based on the first length.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a sensing angle of the sensor is arc tan (a/b)/π×180×2°, where “a” denotes a radius of a wafer disposed in the process chamber and b denotes a distance from the center of the process chamber to the pinhole.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a distance D between the pinhole and an end portion of the sensor facing the pinhole to is (b×L)/(a×2), where L denotes a width of the sensor.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a substrate support in the process chamber and configured to support a substrate, wherein the sensor is configured to monitor a surface level of the substrate.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising: a processor configured to perform a transformation operation on a result of monitoring the surface level of the substrate such that a process status at the surface level of the substrate is obtained.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to perform the transformation operation using an Abel transformation.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a main body inserted into the view port and facing the pinhole in the cover section, wherein the main body is configured to receive the sensor.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the end portion of the view port has a cylindrical shape.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the main body comprises, a coupling section inserted into the view port, a fixing section removably supporting the sensor, and an insertion section coupled to the cover section.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the first length of the cover section is a first value, the sensor is configured to monitor a first region, and when the first length of the cover section is a second value different from the first value, the sensor is configured to monitor a second region different from the first region.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a liner inside the chamber body.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the cover section protrudes beyond an inner wall of the liner.
 13. An apparatus for monitoring an interior of a process chamber, the apparatus comprising: a process chamber including a chamber body, the chamber body including a first view port and a second view port defined therein; a first cover section including a first pinhole, the first cover section disposed to correspond to an one end portion of the first view port, the one end portion of the first view port being adjacent to an inner wall of the chamber body; a first sensor inserted into the first view port to monitor a first sensing region in the interior of the process chamber through the first pinhole; a second cover section including a second pinhole, the second cover section disposed to correspond to an one end portion of the second view port, the one end portion of the second view port being adjacent to the inner wall of the chamber body; and a second sensor inserted into the second view port to monitor a second sensing region in the interior of the process chamber through the second pinhole, the second sensing region being different from the first sensing region.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: a substrate support in the process chamber and configured to support a substrate, wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are configured to monitor the first sensing region and the second sensing region at a surface level of the substrate to obtain first results and second results, respectively.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising: processor configured to, perform a first transformation operation on the first results in the process chamber monitored by the first sensor to obtain a first process status at the first sensing region of the surface level of the substrate, and perform a second transformation operation on the second results in the process chamber monitored by the second sensor to obtain a second process status at the second sensing region of the surface level of the substrate.
 16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first view port and the second view port are on opposite surfaces of the chamber body.
 17. An apparatus for monitoring an interior of a process chamber, the apparatus comprising: a process chamber including a chamber body and at least one view port defined in the chamber body; at least one cover structure coupled into the view port, the cover structure including a pinhole at one end thereof, the cover structure configured to correspond to an one end portion of the view port, the one end portion of the view port being adjacent to an inner wall of the chamber body, the cover structure configured to move forward or backward with respect to the inner wall of the chamber body, the cover structure having a length in a direction toward a center of the process chamber; and at least one sensor accommodated in the cover structure to monitor the interior of the process chamber through the pinhole, a region in the process chamber to be sensed by the sensor determined according to a focal distance of the sensor, the focal distance of the sensor determined based on a distance between the pinhole and the sensor.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: a substrate support in the process chamber and configured to support a substrate; wherein the at least one cover structure includes a first cover structure and a second cover structure, the first cover structure including a first pinhole at one end and the second cover structure including a second pinhole at one end; the at least one view port includes a first view port and a second view port; the at least one sensor includes a first sensor and a second sensor, the first sensor corresponding to the first view port, and the second sensor corresponding to the second view port; the first sensor is configured to obtain first results by monitoring a first region through the first view port, the first region determined according to a first focal distance of the first sensor and a first length of the first cover structure protruding into the chamber body, the first focal distance of the first sensor determined based on a first distance between the first pinhole and the first sensor; and the second sensor is configured to obtain second results by monitoring a second region through the second view port, the second region determined according to a second focal distance of the second sensor and a second length of the second cover structure protruding into the chamber body, the second focal distance of the second sensor determined based on a second distance between the second pinhole and the second sensor, the second distance being different from the first distance.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising: a memory configured to store computer-readable instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the computer-readable instructions such that the one or more processors are configured to, perform a first transformation operation on the first results to obtain a first process status with regard to the first region, and perform a second transformation operation on the second results to obtain a second process status with regard to the first region.
 20. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: a liner in the process chamber, the liner facing the inner wall of the chamber body, wherein the cover structure protrudes beyond an inner wall of the liner. 